On Saturday, the Harlene Marley Theater was filled to capacity for Beyond Therapy’s spring sketch comedy show. It was a much-anticipated event; a long line formed outside the theater and snaked down the hill towards the New Apartments. Despite the cramped conditions, excitement bubbled throughout the room.
The show began with Beyond Therapy’s co-presidents Grateful Beckers ’24 and Max Kahn ’25 jokingly confessing to the audience that they had all agreed to give up on sketch comedy and urging us to go see Two Drink Minimum, a stand-up comedy group, instead. They then revealed their new creative direction: calendars featuring photographs of the group. Suddenly, other members burst onto the stage and interrupted the calendar sales pitch to tell the audience that they had no idea the co-presidents were disbanding the troupe. After an argument, they all agreed to perform Saturday night’s show, but with the humorous condition that it was Beyond Therapy’s last-ever performance.
The audience applauded this news, and the group jumped immediately into its routine. The first sketch was a dating show, hosted by Billy Seeds ’26, that tested its contestants on their ability to distinguish between platonic and romantic scenarios. As the contestants continually gave incorrect answers, the host’s assistant, Ella Demak ’25, became increasingly frustrated, eliciting uproarious laughter from the audience.
The premise for the next sketch was an attempted burglary that went awry when one of the thieves, Kahn, became distracted by the furnishings due to his obsession with HGTV. He used physical comedy well, adjusting the positioning of a coffee table instead of assisting his partner in the robbery. When the owner of the home returned, she was accompanied by the Property Brothers as they filmed an episode of their show. After listening to the brothers talk about the home, the HGTV megafan burst out of his hiding spot to discuss the decor with them.
One particularly funny sketch came towards the middle of the show and centered around two TV news hosts, Seeds and Demak, going over their jokes for their next broadcast. In the sketch, Seeds had forgotten to write his punchlines, causing Demak to become increasingly irate. They played off of each other well and their dialogue flowed naturally. When the two brought on their guest, Kahn playing himself, they asked him to tell a few jokes about being a film major. Kahn launched into a discussion of the 2018 movie “Green Book” and how he thought it received too much backlash. Confused, the hosts questioned his sincerity, but he refused to clarify whether or not he was doing a bit.
The show ended with a topical sketch about all-student emails where personifications of familiar all-student emails about packages, music lessons and lost items berated Demak as she attempted to navigate campus. The audience clearly enjoyed the relatable subject matter, laughing boisterously every time a new email entered. After this strong conclusion, the packed house gave Beyond Therapy a standing ovation in appreciation of a night of laughs.